Seattle takes bold and necessary stand for net neutrality

The online homes for the City of Seattle and Mayor Ed Murray became protest sites on Wednesday, part of the nationwide “Internet slowdown” effort to oppose proposed federal regulations that would create a two-lane highway on the Internet — fast for those companies that can afford premium prices and slow for everyone else.

As seen in the screenshot below, a buffering icon signifying slower speeds was added to the Office of the Mayor’s website. In a blog post, Murray called on the Federal Communications Commission to preserve an open Internet that is equitable.

Screenshot of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s website on Wednesday.

Do you agree with the mayor’s stance? The Seattle Times editorial board does, as stated in numerous editorials over the past year.

Here’s an excerpt from a July 19 editorial:

Washington’s U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell support an open Internet, that in Murray’s words “does not pick winners and losers at the expense of innovators and consumers.” Cantwell has noted “this misguided proposal could mean the end of the Internet as we know it.”

In July, this Opinion Northwest post examined the type of comments sent in to the FCC. Seattle ranked 5th on the list of cities where comments originated.

Wednesday marked the deadline for the second public comment period. Politico reports the FCC has received some 1.4 million public comments. This breaks the previous record set following Janet Jackson’s notorious wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl.

Readers can still get involved and keep the pressure on lawmakers by visiting battleforthenet.com.